Type-writer desk.



IVITNESSES:

J. s. HUNTER. TYPE WRITER DESK.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 11,1910.

Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

INVENTOR. aSJ/azziez J. S. HUNTER.

TYPE WRITER DESK.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 11,1910.

if I

Patented Sept-3,1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES 'INVENTOR. LI 5.. flax/lie? A TTORNE Y.

. H' NTER. J'YPE WRITER DESK. I APPLIUATIORHLBD J IIYu, i91

Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET a.

INVENTOR. J5 uficie WITNESSES:

0&01, ATTORNEY.

J. S. HUNTER.

TYPE WRITER DESK.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 11, 1910.

Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

iEIIU WITNESSES.-

IN VEN TOR. JSf/unie 7" ATTORNEY.

JAMES S. HUNTER, OF BOSTON, Ill/LA.SSAGIHIUSET'JIS.

TYPE-WRITER DESK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

Application filed July 11, 1910. Serial No. 571,533.

To all 'wkom'z't may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMns S.'HUNTER, citizen of the United States, residing at Winter Hill Station, Boston, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in TypcrVVriter Desks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to desks and particularly such desks as are used for the support of typewriters in which a leaf or shelf is provided, which in one position is entirely contained within the desk or table and in another position is projected out therefrom.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a desk particularly designed for typewriters in which. the instrument may be entirely housed or protected while not in use without the necessity of inverting the machine and thus subjecting its parts to undue strain.

Another object of the invention is to provide a table or desk with a leaf or platform adapted to support a typewriter which when lowered is moved horizontally into or out of a pedestal of a desk and when out is moved vertically to the required height for use of the typewriter.

Another object is to provide a desk wherein a minimum of effort shall suffice to raise, lower or shift the typewriter support or shelf and in which the parts are locked in their closed or opened position.

In the drawings: Fi ure 1 is a perspective View of one form of desk provided with my typewriter-supporting attachment. Fig.

2 is a perspective view of the typewriter supporting mechanism removed from the desk. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on the line 33 of Fig. 5 with the supporting shelf lowered and housed within the desk. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section on the line ti -3 of Fig. 3. Fig.4 is a like view to Fig. 3 but showing the supporting shelf raised and protruded. Fig. 5 is a front view of the form of desk shown in Figs. 8 and 4 partly broken away. Fig. 6 is a front view of the desk closed. Fig. 7 is a perspective detail view of themeans for supporting the slide upon thedesk. Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view of the end of one of the levers 30.

Referrin to the figures, 1 designates the sides of e esk or like article of furniture of any suitable character, 2 the legs thereof, 3 the top and 4 a solid bottom which is preferable, though not absolutely necessary. The

sides, top and bottom of the desk inclose a compartment 5 in the interior of the desk,

in which the typewriter shelf and the operative parts therefor are contained, this comgarliment opening upon the front of the The opposite sides of the desk near their upper edges are rabbeted or otherwise formed to provide the longitudinally extendlng horizontal guides 6 in which moves a sliding front piece or door 7, the rear edge of which is rounded as at 8. The under face of the door near its rear margin is provided with oppositely disposed hooks 9 adapted to engage with a transversely extending rod 10 which forms a stop to limit the outward movement of the door and provide a pivot upon which it may turn to its closed position, as shown in Fig. 3. When the door is in a Vertical position as shown in Fig. 3 it closes in the compartment 5. To open it the door is unlocked, raised to a horizontal position and simultaneously slid back in its guides in the posit-ion shown in Fig. 4. The rear end of the door carries a lock 11 whose bolt engages a locking recess 3" in the under face of the desk top when the door is in its vertical or closed position. Of course I do not wish to be limited to the precise construction of the door herein detailed as it is obvious that other forms of door might be used for this purpose.

The typewriter supporting shelf 12 has at its inner or rear end the upwardly extending transverse back piece 13 which when theparts are in their raised or open position closes the space between the rear edge of the shelf 12 and the under face ofthe door 7, and also engages in front of the trans- 'verse bar or rod 10 which thus forms a stop therefor, preventing any accidental rearward movement ofthe shelf.

The bottom of the shelf is provided with oppositely disposed spaced parallel brackets 14 preferably made of angle iron, the rear ends of which are extended downward as at 15 and form supports for the oppositely disposed pairs of links 16. These links are parallel and are pivoted to the brackets as at 16*. The links extend rearward and at their rear ends are pivoted to a slide which is slidably mounted on the bottom of the compartment '5. In detail, this slide preferin any suitable manner as by the web 18. The lower edges of the side pieces are angularly flanged as at 19 and riveted to transversely extending inverted channel irons 20. These channel irons act to hold the side pieces in spaced relation and form a base therefor. They extend beyond the side pieces on each side and are of a length approximately equal to the width of the compartment 5: Attached to each end of the channel iron are the rearwardly extending angle irons 21 which are riveted thereto and have the upwardly extending flange 21 It will be seen that the legs 2'project outward beyond the sides 1 so as to form stops against which the forward rollers 22 engage when the slide is in its open or outwardly moved position, thus limiting the outward movementof the slide. In order to form a bearing for-these rollers and support the slides above the bottom of the compartment, I preferably attach rearwardly extending horizontally disposed strips or rails 24; to the lateral side frame 2, and to each strip I attach the rearwardly extending track iron 25'which preferably consists of a strip of metal having its upper and lower edges curvedoutward and toward each other as shown in Fig. 7 so as'to embrace the rollers 22. The lower margin of this strip supports the forward roller while the upper margin thereof supports the rear roller, the weight of the typewriter or other instru ment upon the shelf 12 acting when the shelf is in its protruded position to depress the forward portion of the slide and elevatethe rear portion. It will be seen also that this construction prevents the rollers from leaving the track so that there is no danger of the slides becoming accidentally jammed within the desk.

In order to raise the leaf or shelf 12 and form a support therefor, I provide a pair of levers 26 which are pivoted near their lower ends as at 27 to suitable supports carried on the forward ends of the side pieces 17. Preferably the levers are pivoted to angle irons 28 which are riveted to the channel irons 20, as shown in Fig. 5. These levers are each spaced inward from the side pieces 17 so that they move between the pairs of oppositely disposed links 16. The upper ends of the levers are connected by a trans-' partment. To provide means for holding the levers 26 either in their raised or lowered position, and means which shall automatically act to raise the shelf 12 whenreleased from its lowered and locked position, I provide the oppositely disposed levers 30 which are pivoted intermediate of their length as at 31 to the angle irons 28, the forward ends of the levers being longitudinally slotted as at 32. s A pin 33 projects out from the lower end of each lever 26 and extends into the slot of the adjacent lever 30. Preferably thelower end of each slot 32 is turned upward or enlarged as at 34 to form a locking seat for the pin 33. The upper ends of the levers are connected by a cross bar 35 which braces the levers, spaces them and holds them rigid, and at the same time affords a point of engagement for a pair of contractile springs 36 whose forward ends are connected to across bar 37 pivoted between the levers 26 and spacing them apart. A screw threaded rod 38 passes through the cross bar and engages a head 39 to which the springs are connected. The cross bar 37 being pivoted provides that the screw threaded rod shall always be in a direct line with the tension on the springs.

It is to be noted that the pivots 27 and 31 of the levers are sufficiently above the bottom of the compartment 5, or above the cross channel irons 20 to permit the levers to move into a position wherein the levers 26 are substantially at right angles to the levers 30. When in this position the pin 33 forms a stop limiting the further downward movement of the short ends of the lever 30 and preventing the further upper movement of the lever 26. The back piece 13 actstoprevent the device being pushed back when up.

The channel iron 20 is 'set far enough back so that the lever 30 will not strike the channel iron when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 4. It is also to be particularly observed that the elevation of the pivots 27 and 31 permits the levers 30 to be turned downward into an angular relation with the levers 26, and that in this position the pin 33 connectin levers 26 and 30 raises the forward end 0 lever 30, lowering the rear end, shifting the direct line of tension on spring 36 below the pivoted point 31 as indicated by dotted line Fig. 3. Thus in Fig. 4 the springs act to hold the levers 30 and 26 up, while in Fig. 3 they act to hold the levers down or in approximate alinementl To prevent the too great depression of the levers 30,1 provide a sto 40 which projects upward from the midd e of the rear channel iron 20 and which engages the cross bar 35 and limits the downward movement of the lever 30 beyond a certain point.

The operation of my invention will be plain from what has gone before.

' slight elevation of these levers is-nece'ssary as immediately the springs 36 rise above In its closed position the shelf 12 with the operative mechanism therefor is entirelyhoused or contained within the' compartment 5, the front f this compartment being "closed by the door 7, as heretofore described. When it is desired to use the shelf the door 7 is pushedu ward and inward to the position shown 111' Fig. 3 and the shelf and levers 26 are pulled outward and raised to the'position shown in Fig. 4 by means of the handle bar 29. A very pivot 31 it will act to draw the levers toward 'eadi other and into'the right angular relation shown in Fig. 4. Thus the springs 36 will cause the table to rise. As the table rises or it is released from its locked position as previously stated, it is drawn forward so that when it has risenthe back piece 13 will engage-in front of the stop rod 10. When it has engaged the rod 10 the lower ends of the levers 26 are locked by reason of the pins 33 engaging in the upwardly turned ends of the slots 32. hen it is desired to return the deck and'its operative mechanism to the interior of the compartment 5, the shelf 12 is entirely depressed and pushed inward as in Fig. 3.- When the shelf has reached its-lowered position, the parts being in the position shown in Fig. 3, the rear ends of the levers 30 will be supported by means of the-stop 40, and the longitudinalaxes of the s rings 36 will be below the pivotal points 2 and 31 and below the pins 33, and the springs will act to hold the parts in their lowered position. Itis to be particularly pointed out in this connection that the adjusting screw 38- in connection with the springs 36 and the cross 'piece 39' acts to take up or let out the springs, thereby increasing or decreasing their tension in accordance with the weight placed upon'the shelf. Thus if the typewritin' machine is of a heavier or lighter make it is possible to properly balance-the shelf 12 to support either the lighter or heavier machine and prevent the too quick raising of the shelf 12 where a light machine is supported on the shelf, or too slow raising where a heavier machine is supported thereon.

-While the typewriter supporting shelf and the operative mechanism therefor may be alone contained within the compartment 5, I may also support a set of drawers within said compartment and so mount the draw- .ers'that they arecapableof sliding in and out with the slide. n Fig. 5-1 have shown suclij-a construction, the drawers 41 being mounted in a rectangular casing 42 which cross rod '10, and that when the slide is moved rearward the drawers also will be moved rearward. When the shelf 12 is. in its raised position any of the drawers below the shelf may be pulled out, the uppermost drawer, however, can only be reached by, lowering the shelf. The third drawer from the bottom, that is, the drawer immediately beneath the shelf, while it may be pulled out when the shelf is in its raised position is so situated that the shelf would form a cover for the drawer and fhus prevent the removal of'the contents. By lowering the shelf, however, beneath the drawer 41 and then pulling it out, it is obvious that thecontents may be easily handled.

While I have shown what I believe to be the best form of my invention, I do not wish to be limited thereto in details as it is obvious that many changes might be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without in any way departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a desk having a compartment open at one end, of a sliding member slida-bly mounted in the compartment for movement toward or from the open end of the compartment, a pair of parallel levers pivoted at their lower ends to the sliding member for movement in a vertical. plane and normally projecting upward and forward beyond the sliding member, spring engaging with said levers and acting to hold them in their upwardly extended position but permitting them to be turned to a-horicompartment open at one end, of a sliding member mounted in the'compartment for movement toward or from the open end thereof, a vertically movable shelf, links connecting the, rear end of the shelf with said sliding member and movable in vertical planes to permit the shelf to be raised or lowered, a pair of levers pivoted near their lower ends to the forward end of the sliding member, the free ends of said levers nor mally extendin upward and outward, the

extremities of t 1e levers having sliding engagement with the under face of the shelf, a contractile spring carried by the sliding member and engaging said levers torhold them in their raised position but'permitting "the levers to be turned-into a vcrticalposi- 13 tion and the shelf depressed, said spring extending approximately parallel to the shelf, and means for locking the levers in a horizontal position against the force of said spring.

3. The combination with a desk having a compartment open at one end, of a sliding member mounted in said compartment and sliding therein towardand from the open end thereof, a vertically movable shelf, a shelf-- supporting lever pivoted to the forward end of the slide and normally extending upward and forward beneath and in engagement with the under face of the shelf, a lever also pivoted to the sliderearward of the pivot of the first-named lever and normally extending upward and rearward in said compartment, connect-ions between the lower end'of the first named lever and the lower end of the second named lever whereby they shall move simultaneously but in opposite directions,

- and a spring connecting the upper ends of both levers acting to draw said levers into an an lar relation and to hold said levers in their depressed or their raised positions.-

4. A desk having a compartment open at one end, a slide in said compartment, a straight lever pivoted intermediate its ends on the slide and having a roller at its free outer end, a lever pivoted intermediate its ends to the slide and having a pivotal sliding connection with the'lowerend of the first named lever, said connection permitting the levers to be turned into alinement ond named levers and resisting the move-- ment ofthe levers inalinement with each 1 5; A desk having a compartment open at one end,ua slide in said compartment, :1 straight lever pivoted intermediate; its ends on the forward ends of the slide, a lever pivoted inter-mediate its ends to the slide and having a pivotal sliding vconnection with the lower end of the first named lever, permitting the levers to be turned into a position of angularity with relation to each other or into alinement with each other, a vertically' -m ovable shelf beneath which the first named lever projects and by which it is supported," a contractile spring connecting the free ends of thefirst'and second named "levers and resisting the movement of the levers into 'alinement with each other, and

links connecting the rear end of the shelf a -with the rear end of the sliding member.

.6.f A.-desk@having an'interior compartment open at one end,ai vertically: movable shelf horizontally; mbvable into or out of said compartment,.a :ieverslidably mounted in said compartment 'andnormally proj eating upwardand out of the same, when the shelf is in its raised position, said lever engaging beneath the shelf to support the same, a lever pivoted intermediate its ends and moving toward or from the open end of the compa'rtment in unison with the first named lever, said second named lever having a pivotal sliding engagement with the lower end of the first named lever, permittingthe levers to be turned into almement with each other, and a contractile spring connecting said levers and extending approximately and normally extending upward beneath the under face of the shelf, a pair of levers also pivoted to the side pieces rearward of the pivots of the first named levers and nor: mally extending upward and rearward,'pivotalconnections between the lower ends of the first named levers and'the lower ends of' the second named levers, whereby they shall move simultaneously, and a spring connected to the'upper ends of the rearwardly extending levers and to the u wardly extending levers acting to draw said levers into an angular relation.

8. The combination with a desk having a compartment open at one end, of a sliding member mounted in said compartment and comprising upwardly projecting spaced L- shaped side pieces, a shelf, links pivoted to the shelf and to the side pieces for movement in vertical planes, a pair of levers pivoted to the forward ends of the side pieces, the upper ends of the levers engaging with theunder face of'the shelf and acting to support the same in a raised position, a air of rearwardly and upwardly exten ing levers pivoted to the side pieces and having slotted lower e ds, pins projecting from the first named levers and engaging in the slots of the last named levers, springs connecting I the upper ends of the upwardly and rear-- wardly projecting levers with the upper portions of the shelf-supporting levers, and

means whereby the levers may be locked in an angular relation to each other or man approximately horizontal alinement.

9. The combination with a 'deskhaving a compartment open at one end, of a sliding member mounted within said compartment and movable toward or from the open end thereof, a shelf, links connecting the rear end of the shelf with the sliding member, a

lever pivoted to the sliding member and normally extending upward and outward to support the shelf, a rearwardly and upwardly extending lever also pivoted to the sliding member and having a longitudinally extending slot in its lower end, a pin extending from the lever and engaging said slot, said levers being thereby movable into a position where they shall extend upward andoutward with the connected ends of the levers below the pivotal points thereof or into an approximately horizontal position wherein the connected ends of the levers shall be above the pivotal points thereof, and a: contractile spring connecting the free ends of said levers and movable with the levers to positions above or below the pivotal points thereof to yieldingly lock the levers in their raised or lowered positions.

10: Ades-k having a compartment open at one end, a sliding member mounted in the compartment for movement toward or from the open 'end thereof, a vertically movable shelf, links connecting the shelf with said sliding member and movable in vertical planes, a pair of levers pivoted to the for- .ward end of the sliding member, the free ends of the levers having sliding engagement beneath the upper faces of the shelf, a pair of levers also pivoted intermediate their ends to the sliding member and ex-- tending in an opposite direction from the first named levers, said first and second named levers having a sliding pivotal en-' gagement with each other, a contractile spring attached to the upper ends of the second named levers and engage with the upper portions of the first named levers and acting to resist anymovement of the levers into a position of alinement with each other, and means for locking the levers in a horizontal position against the force of said spring.

11. A desk having a compartment open at one end, a slide in said compartment, a straight lever pivoted intermediate its ends on the slide above the bottom of the compartment and normally extending upward and out of said compartment, a lever pivoted intermediate its ends to the slide above the bottom of the compartment and normally extending divergently to the first named lever, said levers having a pivotal sliding connection with each other, a vertically movable shelf beneath which-the first named lever projects and by which it is supported, links connecting the rear end of theshelf with the slide, and a contractile spring connecting the free ends of the first and second named levers and resisting the movementof the levers into horizontal alinement with each other.

12. The combination with a desk having a compartment open at one end, of a sliding member mounted within said compartment said rearwardly and upwardly extending anti-friction rollers carried by the sliding member, tracks attached to the walls of the compartment upon which the rollers engage, a vertically movable shelf, links connecting the rearend of the shelf with the said slide, a. pair of upwardly and outwardly extending levers pivoted to the slide, rollers mounted on the upper ends of the levers and engaging beneath the shelf, upwardly and rearwardly extending levers also pivoted to said slide, the ends of said levers having pivotal sliding engagement with the adjacent ends of' the shelf-supporting levers, springs extending between the other ends of levers and the shelf-supporting levers, and

a stop for preventing the rearward movement of the shelf when in its raised position.

a compartment open at one end, of a sliding member mounted within said compartment and comprising transversely extending cross bars, upwardly extending L- shaped side pieces mounted on said cross bars and transversely connecting elements connecting said side pieces, oppositely disposed parallel bais connecting the ends of the cross pieces, grooved rollers mounted on said last named bars, track strips mounted on the walls of the compartment and having inwardlyturned' opposite edges with which said rollers engage, a vertically movable shelf, links connecting the rear end of the shelf with the rear ends of said side pieces, supporting levers pivoted to the forward ends of the side pieces and extending normally upward and outward and engaging the under side of the shelf, and springs holding said levers in their raised position 5 but yielding topermit the shelf and levers to belowered.

14. The combination with a desk having an interior compartment open at one end, of a member slidably mounted in the compartment for movement toward or from the open end thereof, a shelf, links connect ing the rear end of the shelf with thesliding member and movable in vertical planes,

a shelf support pivoted to said sliding member formovement in a vertical plane, the free end of the shelf support engaging beneath the under face of the shelf, an upwardly extending back. piece on the rear end of the shelf, and a stop rod extending across the upper end of the opening to the compartment with which the upper end of the back piece engages when the shelf is raised to prevent any rearward movement of the shelf in that position.

15. The combination with a desk having an interior compartment open at one end, a transverse stop rod extending across the upper portion of the compartment at the openend thereof, guides formed onthe sides 130 of the compartment at the upperend thereof, a sliding door mounted in said guides and having detaining hooks at its rear end and adapted to be engaged with said rod thereon to permit the door to be moved to a vertical position, a member slidably mounted in the compartment for movement toward or from the open end thereof, a shelf, links connecting the rear end of the shelf with the sliding member and movable in vertical planes, a shelf support pivoted to said sliding member for movement in a vertical plane, the free end of said support engaging with the under face of the shelf, a spring acting to hold the free end of the support and the shelf thereon in a raised position, and a back piece on the shelf extending upwardly and adapted to engage withthe said stop rod to prevent any rearward movement of the shelf when the shelf is in its raised position.

16. A' deskhaving a compartment open at one end, a member slidably mounted in the compartment and movable toward the open end thereof, a vertically movable shelf, parallel links connecting the opposite sides of the rear end of the shelf with the sliding member and movable in vertical planes,

oppositely disposed parallel shelf-support-,

named levers, and contractile springs connecting said last named cross bars and disposed approximately parallel to the shelf, said springs acting to resist a movement of the levers into a horizontal plane.

17. In combination with a desk, a slide shiftably mounted therein, a shelf withdrawably honsed therein and vertically movable, a shelf-supporting element pivoted at its lower end to the slide in a plane entirely below the lowermost position of the shelf, said supporting element having sliding engagement with the under face of the shelf, links connecting the rear end of the shelf with the slide, a lever pivoted to the slide and disposed divergently with relation to the normal position of the shelfsupporting element but movable into a position of alinement with the shelf-supporting element when the latter is lowered to a horizontal position, and a contractile spring sup-ported at one end upon said lever and upon its other end upon the shelf-supporting element and acting to hold the shelfsupporting element raised.

In testimony whereof, I atlix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES s. HUNTER. a 8.

I G. M. DIxoN. 

